FAO Johnnie Boden

[valiumbandwitch]

can I make a suggestion.... just looking at your jersey dresses and I'm giddy looking at the patterns.

Would you think about doing some dresses which are say black/grey/navy/taupe but have partial patterns in co-ordinating colours. eg, maybe some leaves 'growing up one side of the skirt which is then picked up on the opposite side of the dress on the sleeve. Result would be a dress that is not boring, but not totally GARISH either. I can give you some more ideas if you'd like.

Some of the jersey dresses are just truly dazzling. Less is more sometimes. Better designs, fewer colours in your patterns.

[HugoFirst]

what a bout a leaf on each TIT?

[valiumbandwitch]

Also, a dress in a muted shade of red. I've been looking for that for years. Not santa red or orange red or magenta... just a really nice muted 'dull' normal wearable shade of red.

[BelovedCunt]

if you want black/grey/navy/taupe wtf are you doing looking at boden? get yourself to the white company

[HugoFirst]

or if you want GREY!!! get yourself to mint velvet

the home of sludge

[valiumbandwitch]

I dont want to wear head to toe grey, but you only have to have a glance at their website to see that there is a middle ground between grey and the kaleidascope of colours and patterns on display there. Some of Boden's dresses are too colourful for my 8 year old daughter.

I think they're getting it wrong. There's a market for clothes that are a bit more interesting, a bit more colourful, have a bit of a pattern, but imo, they are going way overboard with that.

But then, I haven't seen their books. They could be selling skiploads of those garish jersey dresses. the alice wrap dress eg. eyoooo. But they might be selling thousands of them for all I know.

[BelovedCunt]

they have their demographic valium, you are clearly not it, get over it

[GetOrf]

Valium - if you generally don't want to wear clothes described as 'jaunty', 'ditsy' or 'fun', get yerself away from the hell that is Boden.

Get ye to French Connection or Reiss.

[GetOrf]

Or for a generally expansive sludge theme - All Saints.

[cornsilks]

the swirls only work if you're riding a rickety bike with a rattan basket at the front.

[lucykate]

try wrap online, their colour palette is much more sedate and grown up than boden. boden ladies dresses are beginning to look a bit too much like 5 yr old party wear.

[BelovedCunt]

boden patterns are for grown women who read too much charlie and lola and giggle endlessly

[BelovedCunt]

yes wrap is sludge a gogo vile

[GetOrf]

The thing with Boden is that the whippersnaspper size 6 beautyes look like divs in the clothes, so what will a 30 something woman with a less than flat stomach look like?

[HugoFirst]

All saints looks Post apocalyptic imo

[MmeLindor.]

Do Reiss really have a iPad inaccessible website? Or is it not working?

[strawberryjelly]

If you look at the Boden preview ( autumn stuff) they have a couple of jersey dresses in black/grey/rown trailing leaf patterns- I have ordered one of them.

otherwise I agree with you.
i am petite and even if the colours didn't scream at me, the prints are too big for a small person- and usually the plain colours are too bright . Or black only.

[valiumbandwitch]

I am not all worked up or anything BC.

I love FC and Reiss but FC dresses are too short. I suppose the frustrating thing about boden is that it is almost what I want, sometimes anyway. I'd say I'm not totally OUT of their demographic. age 41. two children. sahm. But it's not a great big deal, I was just thinking out loud.

[hattymattie]

Valium - I know exactly where you're coming from and agree with you. I want some colour and nice design - I don't want beige and sludge but do not want to dress in overly loud patterns - I'm sure a few years back they more subtle.

[madammecholet]

oh, and i thought this was going to be a Jonnie bashing thread, I got all excited, not a 'useful suggestions one'.

[iWILLdothis]

I'm with you, valium

[Mumelie]

With you too valium.
Have you tried Kew ?

[Lipstickgal]

Wouldn't it have been nice had they left the sparkle off their pewter maxi? I know what a necklace is for after all......
I totally agree with you OP. I want colours such as Ruby REd, indigo purple, deep emerald green,dark teal and sea blue. Not boring but eye-catching. Not garish.

[strawberryjelly]

Boden used to be more subtle. I have bought from them since they first started about 15 years back.

They got into garish prints about 5 years back.

At first it was a smattering- about a third. Now it's around 75%.
I don't know who buys them TBH.

I rarely see anyone in them and when I do I can clock it as Boden at 50 paces.

My wish is that they would vary the shapes of the dresses. This summer thre are very few that don't have a round, high neck- unless you want a sun dress with a plunging V.

They seem to have 2 basic styles of dresses- empire line shift with a high round neck, or a variation on the wrap over style.

And the preview has far too many cotton dresses ( for autumn???) with short sleeves.